McLaren Speedtail prototype begins a year-long testing

McLaren’s new “Hyper GT”, the Speedtail embarks on a year-long “punishing test programme” in the run-up to production commencing at the end of 2019. The prototypes will be running in Europe, North America and Africa, initially at bespoke automotive test facilities but later amongst traffic on “normal” roads, McLaren said.

The first Speedtail prototype wears a unique livery and has been christened ‘Albert’, a tribute to the Albert Drive premises where its predecessor F1 was designed.

“The start of real-world testing represents a major step in the development of the McLaren Speedtail. As the first fully representative prototype, ‘Albert’ will build on the invaluable work still being put in by earlier development cars, allowing us to sign-off vehicle attributes including chassis dynamics; brake performance; damper tuning; tyres; NVH and aspects of ergonomics and comfort. With a huge amount achieved already, the McLaren Speedtail is well on the way to fulfilling its destiny as the greatest McLaren road car ever.” Ben Gulliver, Head of Vehicle Development, McLaren Automotive.

This prototype according to McLaren, will have production-level specification which allows the car’s attributes to be proven in real-world conditions early in the development process, including for example ingress and egress to the three-seat cockpit.